According to the study conducted at the University of Massachusetts, it took 12- and 13-year-olds just a few days after their first cigarette to show signs of addiction. Such symptoms included cravings, needing more to get the same buzz, withdrawal symptoms when not smoking, feeling addicted to tobacco, and loss of control over the number of cigarettes smoked or the duration of smoking.

For years, experts have tried to determine how long people had to smoke before becoming addicted. "The best answer to date has been 1 to 2 years," said Dr. Richard Hurt, director of the Nicotine Dependency Unit at the Mayo Clinic. "There's been a suspicion that many people become addicted very quickly, but this is really the first hard evidence that we've had that this occurs."

Hurt said the findings will help scientists better understand the biology of nicotine addiction.

The study is published in the British Medical Association journal Tobacco Control.

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